WiDS New Zealand, 10 and 17 March 2022
WiDS Ambassadors
WiDS Ambassadors plan an event in their area that coincides with the Women in Data Science (WiDS) Worldwide Conference. They are in their regions supporting women who are currently
in the field and inspiring other women to become data scientists. The New Zealand WiDS co-ambassadors for 2022 are
Nokuthaba Sibanda and
Kate Kolich who volunteer their time to organise WiDS NZ.
This is Kate's fifth year as a WiDS ambassador and this year she is also a member of the global WiDS ambassador advisory council
https://www.widsconference.org/aac.html
Kate Kolich - Reserve Bank of New Zealand
Kate Kolich will take up the role of Assistant Governor/General Manager of Information, Data, and Analytics in February 2022. In this role she is responsible for setting our information and data strategy, policy, developing processes for the collection, storage, manipulation, and dissemination of data to support evidence-based decision-making across the Bank.
Kate has an extensive career in digital, data and technology leadership roles across the public and private sectors. Her experience includes almost 20 years in financial services, including at the Bank of New Zealand where she held a number of data leadership roles including Head of Enterprise Data and Information Services. In her time at BNZ, Kate led many strategic data initiatives and teams across the bank. Prior to joining the RBNZ, Kate led the Evidence, Insights and Innovation team at EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority). Prior to that, she was the Director of Data Systems and Analytics at the Social Wellbeing Agency.
As a recognised thought leader on digital and data innovation, Kate is active in promoting women in STEM through her work as a Global Women in Data Science Ambassador.
Kate has a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Information Management in Information Systems from Victoria University of Wellington. She also holds an Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management.
Nokuthaba Sibanda - Victoria University of Wellington, NZSA
Nokuthaba is a Senior Lecturer in Statistics and Associate Dean (Postgraduate Research) at Victoria University of Wellington. She also serves as Secretary of the New Zealand Statistical Association.
